LP: £24.99

Label: Hassle Records

Release date: 21.03.2025

“Being embarrassed to be a white American has never been a bigger visceral, laugh filled, joy

than when I’m listening to Dead Pioneers. If you think truth needs a great soundtrack… look no

further than Dead Pioneers.” - Shepard Fairey

 “Dead Pioneers is one of one. Injecting new life into punk rock with an indigenous perspective

and an important message. They are beautiful people and great musicians and we can’t wait to

go on tour with them as soon as possible!” - The Interrupters

 “Imagine if the fucking Vikings or the Mayflower never made it across the Atlantic and One

Mocassin’s grandkids electrified the lute his ancestors found in the rubble of the Mayflower that

crashed on the rocks. There would be no Minutemen or Fugazi, only DEAD PIONEERS!” - Jeff

Ament (Pearl Jam)

 Who were the first punks? Do The Damned have more of a shout than The Sex Pistols? The

Stooges or Ramones? Gregg Deal, the acclaimed visual and performance artist behind his new

project Dead Pioneers, is making a claim that Indigenous Americans were the first real punks.

 Gregg Deal is an artist and activist and a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Much of

his work includes exhaustive critiques of American colonialism, society, politics, popular culture

and history. With this work - including paintings, murals and performance art - Deal critically

examines issues within Indian country such as decolonisation, stereotype and appropriation.

He has exhibited his work at cultural centres nationally and internationally.

 Deal suggests that the overarching theme of the Dead Pioneers self-titled album is “an

introduction to the band itself.” Created with a DIY disposition and the “love of a scene that

saves lives,” they reel off a roll call of marginalised groups and protected characteristics:

“Indigenous rights, Black rights, Brown rights, Asian rights, Gay rights, Trans rights, Workers

rights and beyond…” This is central to their identity and focus, saying that “with a North

American Indigenous person as the vocalist, being unapologetically upfront on the social,

political and cultural side of things doesn’t seem necessary, but paramount to the overall tone

of the band.”

 This self-titled debut, coming in at a lithe 22 minutes, with only one of the twelve tracks

exceeding three minutes, is almost over before it begins, but covers a huge amount of ground

in that time. Musical touchstones are varied, ranging from Black Flag and The Minutemen via

Suicidal Tendencies and Rage Against The Machine through to La Dispute or IDLES.

Thematically, as much as sonically, it channels the taut energy and directed rage of Fugazi or

Henry Rollins at their peak.

 Spoken word interludes serve as connections between songs as well as linking back to Deal’s

extensive art career. Tracks such as lead single ‘Bad Indian’ uses humour as a way into

complex, knotty themes and has the lines, “A woman once asked me my Indian name and I

said ‘It’s Gregg.’ She was so disappointed she was like ‘no it has to be Red Eagle, or two

Rivers,’ ‘or Greyskull’ I said. ‘Yes, wait, is that for real?’ ‘No, no,’ I said without her realising my

brief but generationally relevant He-Man joke, the kind of joke that would tell her while Indian,

I’m also having an American experience too.”

 The band is made up of guitarists Josh Rivera and Abe Brennan, drummer Shane Zweygardt

and bassist Lee Tesche (who is also lead guitarist for Algiers), with Gregg Deal on vocals. For

the creation of the album, the songs were written together, “all bringing something to the table

and working through it, just the excitement and desire to write,” with most of the lyrics

contributed by Deal. “We are together in all we do. Our process is one of unity and no ego.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be here without them. The shared vision is paramount to making this work

properly.”

 “I see the existence of Dead Pioneers as an extension of my own visual and performance art

work,” concludes Deal. “Having used spoken word in my practice, this is a new medium that is

not just satisfying as an artist, but empowering to unapologetically say the quiet things out

loud.”

 Regardless of who was really punk first, Dead Pioneers are here now, continuing to ask

questions and stand up for the voiceless. And in a post-Albini world, perhaps such a sense of

integrity is more important than ever?